1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an autism diagnosis support apparatus using a diagnostic of autism.
2. Related Background Art
Autism is a developmental disorder occurring in infants aged up to three, and one in 50 to 60 people develops autism and related disorders. Typical symptoms of autism include impaired communication due to inability to make eye contact, lack of emotional interaction due to an inability to imagine the feelings of others, and display of limited interests and behaviors.
Attempts have been made to improve social adjustment of autistic people by early autism diagnosis for early start of remedial education. For example, pediatricians and child psychiatrists have diagnosed autism by observing behaviors of infants and making an evaluation based on their behaviors. However, the shortage of specialists in such diagnosis approach makes early diagnosis practically difficult.
Other approaches to autism diagnosis under consideration include biological evaluation such as a specific serum molecular method. This diagnosis approach involves analyzing a patient's serum to identify the patient as healthy or autistic.